THE preface to this little volume states that “the three books which form this series are emphatically children's books, and not text-books for South Kensington students.” As long as the author confines himself to that part of the science which is, in our opinion, best adapted to the mind of a child, his “chatty, experimental method” may very probably gain the attention of youthful readers. The first forty-eight pages, which he devotes to External morphology, are unpretentious and successful. We may well wish that the author had confined himself to external morphology; but he launches out into anatomy and physiology—branches of the science which are ill-adapted at best to the mind of a child: in this middle section of the book his success leaves him when he states that “the epidermis of the orange consists … of a thick peel;” that “there, is in every plant … a peculiar vital fluid which is the source of all its solid parts;” this, we are told, is found in spring “in an active state between the bark and the wood. In this condition it is called cambium!” It is also stated (p. 58) that the cells of the pith “form the channel by which all the fluids absorbed by the roots are carried upwards towards the leaves and flowers,” while the part played in the transfer of fluids by the lignified walls is systematically ignored, and it is expressly stated on p. 78 that “there can be no passage of fluids up or down, except by the process of osmosis.” When the author leaves this part of the subject, on which he is, to say the least, not very sound, his success again returns: he describes simply and clearly the chief characters of the flower and fruit; but concludes with a condensed and not very satisfactory treatment of some of the lower forms of vegetable life. Botany. A Specific Subject of Instruction in Public Elementary Schools. By Vincent T. Murché. (London: Blackie and Son, 1885.)